LONDON — Novak Djokovic punched his ticket to a record eighth straight Wimbledon semifinal on Tuesday, outlasting Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime in a marathon five-set thriller, 7-6(10) 3-6 6-3 6-7(4) 7-6(10-4), setting the stage for a highly anticipated matchup against defending champion Jannik Sinner.
The seventh-seeded Djokovic found himself in trouble during a lengthy opening-set tiebreak, smiling through several missed opportunities — only to get the final laugh when Auger-Aliassime sent a volley sailing long, handing Djokovic a set that had appeared destined to go the other way.
In the second set, a double fault from Djokovic gave Auger-Aliassime the break he needed to take a 5-3 lead, and the Canadian kept his composure to level the match. Shortly after, the Centre Court roof was closed at approximately 7:40 p.m. local time, a decision that did not sit well with Djokovic.
Despite his frustration over the roof closure, Djokovic regrouped once the third set began, tightening up his ball-striking and breaking Auger-Aliassime in the sixth game to seize control of the match.
Auger-Aliassime dropped his opening service game of the fourth set and, visibly frustrated, slammed his racket against his chair. However, the Canadian dug deep and forced a deciding fifth set by claiming the fourth-set tiebreak.
The two players remained locked together through all 12 games of the final set before Djokovic leaned on his vast experience to pull away in the match tiebreak, closing out the win to a thunderous ovation from a crowd that had been thoroughly entertained throughout the evening.
